


'cause you're the last of a dying breed

by lesouci



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Clueless Wooyoung, Humor, Identity Porn, Jealousy, Love Triangles, M/M, Mutual Oblivious Pining, Secret Identity, but not really, but tbh everyone except yeosang is, kidnappings, rivalries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21742669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesouci/pseuds/lesouci
Summary: Tragically, Wooyoung does actually like them, supervillains and all, and he wouldn’t mind if Star hypothetically came over to play video games with him and held his hand or something, because Star's kind of cute. Or if Ghost did. Or Angel. And why stop there? Flux has bragged about Sunrise’s gaming skills before, so he’d extend the invitation to them too. It can't be too much to ask for them to set aside their differences for one Mario Kart match. Hell, he could introduce them to his friends, and then maybe they could form interpersonal drama thatdidn'tinvolve citywide showdowns with fireballs and floating cars. That all sounds so much safer. And better for his grades. And maybe San would be so impressed that he knows superheroes that he asks him on a date.--Or: local university student Jung Wooyoung tries to manage school, a love life, and being held hostage on a weekly basis by the local supervillains trying to annoy the local superheroes.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jung Wooyoung/Everyone, Side Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, side Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 10
Kudos: 91





	'cause you're the last of a dying breed

**Author's Note:**

> so. in the middle of writing for angels/demons verse, my writing mood started to shift and my writing style started to not fit that verse as well, so i hopped over to this plot bunny real quick
> 
> notes  
> -be prepared for like.....medium burn. woosan's the focus here but they're dummies, so it'll take a bit  
> -full pairings ARE mainly woosan, side seongjoong and yungi. there'll be woohwa, woosang, and woojong content as well because i love to indulge myself ok :\ if they get especially loud later, i'll add them to the pairings list  
> -this one's gonna be on the light and silly side :,) i'm just having fun, and i hope u will too!  
> -uni/college setting is americanized :(  
> -yes the title is from another fall out boy song. i'm sorry. jk no im not

Wooyoung has been kidnapped. Again.

This time, they’ve tied him to the top of a tall building—not even the tallest building or even a well-known building. It’s just _a_ tall building.

He can already hear Yeosang’s voice: _you got yourself kidnapped again, and that’s what you’re worried about?_ And how dare he be walking alone, in broad daylight, eating candy and minding his business, thereby silently broadcasting _PLEASE KIDNAP ME_ to any nearby supers, blah, blah, blah, yes, how dare he.

Wooyoung pouts at the sight of the jelly candy bag rustling in the wind. It looks empty now, most of the candies strewn and long-lost to the depths below during his captors’ initial struggle to get him situated right where they want him. It would’ve been funny if they hadn’t been, you know, trussing him up on a forty-story building and throwing away his only meal for the day so far. Such is the life of a broke university student. (The meal thing, that is. He's pretty sure the kidnapping bit isn't part of the universal college experience.)

“Aw, why're you pouting?” A face suddenly drops down in front of him, upside-down, and Wooyoung actually screams a little – not out of _fear_ , all right, but out of a momentary panic that Starlight just fell off.

Star didn’t, of course. He laughs and rights himself, buoyed easily by the wind, and Wooyoung is _sure_ he’s responsible for the breeze suddenly whirling around him. “Don’t laugh at me,” Wooyoung hisses, struggling against his bonds for the first time in an instinct to smack him. “You threw away my candy.” It's been about a month since the self-named Triumvirate last "took him hostage," and although he actually _did_ kind of miss them, he really liked the part where he was able to eat in peace.

Star grins. “Sorry.” Star sounds about as apologetic as a masked supervillain-slash-ransomer can, which is actually more apologetic than Wooyoung expects. “Ghost said you’d just throw up if we let you keep eating up here.”

He reminds Wooyoung of one of his friends with that sharp eyes and sharper smile, but Wooyoung thinks he’d recognize if he had a real-life friend like Star.

“Don’t pin this on me.” Ghost appears in Wooyoung’s periphery like a— well, like a ghost. Wooyoung has started getting used to it, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to Ghost’s unnaturally light, piercing eyes. Like Star, the lower half of his face is hidden by a black, studded mask, matching their equally dark and accented outfits. “You didn’t have to throw the bag down like that. We could have saved them.”

“I threw it because you almost dropped him and I had to catch him!” Star protests.

Wooyoung definitely doesn’t remember that, so it must’ve been while he was passed out. Good to know he was in great hands.

Ghost can’t fly naturally like Star can, probably relying on his telekinesis to keep himself afloat. Still, he’s very graceful about it, lowering himself soundlessly on the ledge next to Wooyoung.

Wooyoung wouldn’t say he keeps a list of favorite supers, but if he _did_ , which he doesn’t, Ghost would be pretty high up on that list. The way his eyes turn icy and he can drain the life out of anything he touches is, frankly, pretty fucking awesome, but Wooyoung’s favorite part is how gentle he still is. He’s like…a deadly deer. A deadly, gorgeous deer.

Ghost glares at his…coworker? Co-supervillain? Co-kidnapper? Wooyoung wouldn’t even classify them as villains, just antiheroes or vigilantes, but _superantiheroes_ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. “I did _not_ almost drop you,” he says to Wooyoung, like he wouldn’t still be one of Wooyoung’s favorites even if he did.

“Don’t worry,” Star says, ignoring him and cupping Wooyoung’s cheeks between two gloved hands, “we would never, _ever_ let anything happen to you.”

Oh yeah? Then why is Wooyoung starving literally right now? “Can this be done before six? I was going to meet someone for dinner.”

Now it’s Star’s turn to pout. “Oh. Are you going on a date?”

Wooyoung’s not sure when his life went so horribly long and led him down this path, to this particular point—him tied to a lightning rod while a supervillain looks vaguely jealous over a night of junk food and Dragonball Z he’s going to have with his roommates. It might be that fated night he fell victim to a fake puppy crying in the alleyway, which actually just turned out to be Star impersonating a puppy.

(No, Wooyoung isn’t proud of it, but what was he supposed to do, just walk by a crying puppy because its crying sounded strange? _His_ laugh sounds strange, and if he was suffering in an alley, he’d want someone to stop and check on him too.)

“What Wooyoung does in his free time isn’t your concern,” Ghost says, because apparently Wooyoung’s taken too long to answer. But Ghost looks a little pinched too, like it also bothers him that Wooyoung will be spending his entire night binging Dragonball Z. What for? He and Yeosang make perfectly viable life choices.

“I wasn’t concerned,” Star scoffs. “Why are you here, anyway? M— Angel put you on patrol. _I’m_ lookout.”

“Looking at Wooyoung doesn’t count as lookout,” Ghost mutters, so low that Wooyoung doesn’t really catch it, but Star’s acute hearing does, and he shoves Ghost off the ledge, huffing indignantly, “You do it too!”

Wooyoung closes his eyes to the sound of their bickering, partly because he’s grown used to their dynamic (along with Angel, but he seems to be missing in action right now), and partly because he’s _really_ hungry and he’s just trying not to think about it. A side effect of dangling off a lightning rod is apparently sleepiness though, because he catches himself nearly dozed off when a voice calls out to him, _Wooyoung, can you hear me?_

His eyes flutter open. Ghost and Star are now a few paces ahead of him, floating aloft and talking about something he can’t hear over the wind. _Hi_ , he answers. _Yes_.

He feels Six’s sigh of relief more than he hears it. _Oh, good. Are you okay?_

_Mhm. Just chilling._

_Angel again?_

Wooyoung steals a glance at the super-evil duo before quickly swiping a look around him. _Maybe? Starlight and Ghost mentioned him, but I haven’t seen him yet_.

 _I bet he’s still involved,_ Six mutters, sounding dark. Wooyoung has never seen Six, doesn’t really know him past _the mysterious voice who helps the good guys rescue me_ , but he imagines he’s someone tall, maybe taller than Yunho, and dark-haired, brooding, and mysterious like Ghost but less angsty, someone who can totally carry Wooyoung in his arms.

Not that Wooyoung actively wants that. Not that Wooyoung actively _doesn’t_ want that.

_Are you still on the move?_

_No_. He peers down. Thank god he’s not afraid of heights; even for an insultingly plain building, it’s a long drop down. _Do you remember where Pan and Angel had that big fight?_

_Which one?_

Good point. _When Pan sent, like, a thousand spoons after Angel. I’m on the tallest building on that street._

Wooyoung didn’t think it was possible to telepathically laugh until he feels it from Six. _Oh, I know the one._

_Can you hurry? I have a dinner date with my roommates in an hour._

A click of the tongue. Hopefully that means _no problem, Wooyoung, let me just call my superhero friends to get you._

He’s pretty sure it doesn’t. At least they had the decency to kidnap him over the weekend instead of making him miss another dance final.

Pan arrives on the scene two minutes later, and Wooyoung can pinpoint the exact moment he does because Ghost suddenly stiffens, his head lifting like a guard dog. “He’s here,” he says lowly, not unlike the way movies signify that his Big Bad Archnemesis is approaching. That's, of course, ignoring the fact that Pan is literally the tiniest superhero Wooyoung knows and that, according to Star, the worst “beef” he and Ghost have is that they used to be on the same super team together and Ghost once caught Pan using one of his duplicates to talk to him while Pan was actually asleep in the next room. So Ghost split. _And they were roommates!_

The drama would be more enticing if it didn't coincide so often with his life that it almost _feels_ like part of his life now. He planned this semester's schedule around Possible Times He Might Be Kidnapped. Wooyoung can stand to interact a little less with them.

...All right, he can stand to interact a little less with them _in the context_ of the whole superpowered business. Tragically, Wooyoung does actually like them, supervillains and all, and he wouldn’t mind if Star hypothetically came over to play video games with him and held his hand or something, because Star's kind of cute. Or if Ghost did. Or Angel. And why stop there? Flux has bragged about Sunrise’s gaming skills before, so he’d extend the invitation to them too. It can't be too much to ask for them to set aside their differences for one Mario Kart match. Hell, he could introduce them to his friends, and then maybe they could form interpersonal drama that _didn't_ involve citywide showdowns with fireballs and floating cars. That all sounds so much safer. And better for his grades. And maybe San would be so impressed that he knows superheroes that he asks him on a date.

Anyway. Ghost’s hands have curled into fists now, and Wooyoung doesn’t need to see his face to know his eyes are probably inking black as well. “How far?” He’s talking to Star.

Star hums. He’s more angled towards Wooyoung, so Wooyoung can see the way he closes his eyes and tilts his head in concentration. “Two blocks away. Four of him.” It’s amazing how Star can recognize Pan’s footsteps _and_ isolate them from the millions of other sounds. “He's...moving at the same time. Weird.”

Ghost turns to Star, aggravation rolling off his normally composed frame in waves. “He's going to attack?”

“Maybe? I don't know what he's planning to do from all the way down there. Plus, it sounds like he's alone.”

The last word seems to be a keyword for Ghost, whose posture stiffens.

 _Earth to Wooyoung._ Pan’s airy voice cuts through the conversation he’s trying to listen in on, probably tethered to his thoughts by Six. Wooyoung accidentally bites his tongue trying to stop himself from reacting and tipping off Star.

 _Aren’t you the one from an alien planet?_ Wooyoung snips.

_Alien planet... You’ve been reading those comic books, haven’t you? I'm disappointed._

What else is Wooyoung supposed to do in class, pay attention? _They’re listening to you right now walking, you know that, right?_

_I know. Starlight's been getting better and better. Don't worry, we'll get you out of there soon._

“Stay with Wooyoung,” Ghost commands. It’s rare that he does that; Wooyoung _thinks_ he’s the oldest of them, but Angel’s almost always the one behind their schemes. “Let Angel know _he’s_ here.”

“Okay,” Star says, sounding like he meant to do that anyway. He finally turns back to Wooyoung, and Wooyoung tunes out Pan’s voice for now so Starlight doesn’t pick up on anything. Sometimes Wooyoung’s afraid his hearing _is_ good enough to pick up on brain waves.

Ghost starts descending, presumably to go meet Pan. Wooyoung would be concerned about anyone taking on Pan and his duplicates alone, but this is Ghost. He seems to know Pan like the back of his hand.

 _He does_ , Pan sighs, reminding Wooyoung with a jolt that they’re still connected. Before Wooyoung can advise him and Ghost to maybe see a couple’s therapist, Pan tells him, _Just be ready to close your eyes, and sit tight for me._

Wooyoung wiggles his wrists experimentally. They’re still bound fast – though honestly, from where he’s standing, he wants them to stay that way. _Sure_ , he replies.

 _He’s gone now_ , Six’s voice comes instead. _I’ll be going now too, but if you need me, you know what to do. Be safe, Wooyoung._

Three words, and Wooyoung's blushing. He hopes Six is out of his thoughts now.

“What’s going on today?” he asks Starlight, who’s taken to hanging off of the same lightning rod Wooyoung is currently tied to. He’s genuinely curious; the month-long silence, although nice, was weird. They really have ingrained themselves into his life. “Are you just using me as a diversion again?”

“You’re never just a diversion to me, Wooyoungie,” Star coos, petting his hair. Since he has nothing else to do and he's only a human who likes his hair being touched, Wooyoung leans into it. “I'm not really sure why we're out here either. Angel was just bored.”

Wooyoung turns a flat stare on him. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. He just…” Star pauses. “The last fight took a lot out of him, so S... _so_ , Ghost and I put him in house arrest.” No wonder they've been quiet. “But I think we just accidentally gave him a free month to plot more things against Utopia.”

Wooyoung groans. “He can’t do something normal, like vent in a journal?”

Even though Star is wearing that mask, Wooyoung _knows_ he’s smirking. “But then I wouldn’t get to see you as often.”

Thankfully, he doesn’t have to come up with an intelligent answer for that: somewhere behind him, a door slams open, and Star spins around so quickly one side of his overcoat slaps Wooyoung’s thigh.

“Now!” a familiar voice shouts, and somehow, Wooyoung just _knows_. He squeezes his eyes shut and ducks his chin towards his chest for good measure, bracing himself for the chaos about to unfold.

Even through his eyelids, he can sense the sudden darkening of the sky. Sunrise, likely.

A moment later, there’s a bright flash of light – and if it’s bright for him with his eyes closed, it must be _blinding_ for someone who has theirs open.

Star does a second impression of that pained puppy in the alleyway, and Wooyoung feels his presence disappear next to him.

“Flux, get Wooyoung!” He recognizes Sunrise’s voice this time, its gentle timber unusually authoritative.

Wooyoung doesn’t dare open his eyes yet. He tenses in preparation for Flux, but he startles anyway when Flux’s hands close around his shoulder.

“Wooyoung?”

At Flux’s panic-tinged voice, Wooyoung opens his eyes. Flux’s warm brown eyes are creased with worry. It’s a majorly off-beat thought to have, but Flux has always looked the most human, yet the most unattainable to him. Also, when did he start wearing fingerless gloves?

Back on beat. “I’m okay. A little tied up right now, though.”

“Bad joke,” Flux says mercilessly. “Stay still.” He braces an arm over Wooyoung’s chest, practically hugging him to the rod before burning through the rope wrapped around him. He’s likely feeding off of Sunrise’s energy, hands sparking the golds and reds of an actual sunrise as he concentrates the energy through his palms.

Wooyoung will be amazed about it later, when he’s not suddenly free from the rod and therefore hanging onto Flux so he doesn’t tip off the edge of the building. He’s so glad he’s not afraid of heights.

“Sunrise!” Flux shouts over his shoulder. “I have him, let’s go!”

Sunrise comes within his field of vision, this time kinder to the human eye. He’s still a mass of solar energy barely tamed into a human body, light lashing and warping his edges, but Wooyoung thinks he catches a glimpse of a grin. “Nice seeing you again.”

“You too.” Wooyoung’s going to be on the naughty list for lying straight to a superhero’s face, but he’s sort of busy clinging for his dear life right now.

“Starlight’s going to be back soon. Go.” Sunrise nods towards Flux. “Just stick to the plan.”

Flux grunts. Wooyoung finds himself being abruptly swung into a bridal carry. “Hold onto me and don’t scream,” Flux says, and Wooyoung thoughtlessly locks both arms behind Flux’s shoulders. Flux nods approvingly. Then he jumps off the building.

Wooyoung screams the whole way down.

When Flux lands, absorbing all of the impact and without so much as a sound, Wooyoung is still screaming and kind of sobbing. “Oh—no, no, shit. I mean.” Flux’s eyes fly wide, either for his own eardrums, for the gathering crowd’s eardrums, or for the children for the gathering crowd’s eardrums. “You’re fine, Wooyoung, you’re okay. Can—” He sounds strained. “You don’t have to hold on so tight anymore.”

Wooyoung’s voice finally rasps out, and he manages to loosen his grip enough for Flux to breathe, but he’s still shaking.

“Good,” Flux soothes. “We, um. We have to go now, I can hear Starlight coming.”

On cue, someone cries out _“Wooyoung!”_ from above them.

Flux looks increasingly urgent. “Can you stand?”

“Uh huh,” Wooyoung says. Or squeaks. His brain hasn’t really caught up yet; it might still be hurtling down the building.

“Good,” Flux tells him again, “we don’t have to go far, don’t worry. We just have to meet up with Pan and Sunrise.” Very slowly, very gingerly (because Flux is a very considerate person), Flux lowers him back on his feet.

Wooyoung promptly loses consciousness.

✪

you are in **Utopia Comms (WORK ONLY!!!)**.

 **sunrise:** starlight’s pissedfdjhgfhjhgjgkffj

 **pan:** sunrise please stop keysmashing in the work chat

 **sunrise:** i

 **pan:** **@flux** report

**pan: @flux**

**pan: @flux** where are you

 **six:** hey **@flux** is someone shielding you again or what

 **six:** can you hear me?

 **flux:** Here

 **flux:** Sorry I had to move quick and my hands are full

 **flux:** Wooyoung passed out

 **six:** WHAT

 **pan:** WHAT

 **sunrise:** what

 **six:** i’ll kill you is he ok

 **flux:** Yellow okay

 **six:** excuse me

 **flux:** Sorry using speech to test just trying to get away from the chaos right now

 **flux:** Yes he’s okay I should have given him more of a warning before jumping

 **pan:** security alarms were just tripped at HQ

 **pan:** change of plans, **@flux** drop him off at his apartment

 **six:** wait what

 **flux:** K

 **six:** wait are you serious are you going right now

 **six:** FLUX

 **six:** fuck

 **six:** **@flux**

 **sunrise:** oh so he doesn’t get scolded for cursing in front of flux but i do???? fake

 **pan:** that

 **pan:** can be discussed later

 **pan:** not mid mission

 **sunrise:** "mission" ur just flirting

 **pan:** .

 **pan:** **@six** status on the triumvirate?

 **six:** they're not chasing

 **pan:** good. keep me updated

 **pan:** i’m meeting you there **@flux**

 **sunrise:** ohh party at wooyoung’s??

 **six:** wh

 **six:** ok hold on

 **six:** are you sure that's a good idea

 **six:** he has roommates

 **six:** i mean i assume he does??? because he's in college

 **sunrise:** have you even gone outside

 **six:** ok hey

 **sunrise:** you never come to our group outings </3 :(

 **six:** 1\. how is it a group outing ur host is literally unconscious

 **six:** 2\. bold of u to assume i want to hang out with any of u outside of work

 **sunrise:** D:

 **pan:** I SAID THIS IS A WORK CHAT

 **pan:** rendezvous at wooyoung's

✪

you are in **useless gays**.

 **hehe:** ?????????? 

**hehe:** i cant sense wooyoung anymore

 **hehe:** flux just disappeared with him over the side of the building

 **hehe:** **@ghost** did you see where they went

 **hehe:** HELLO DOES ANYONE KNOW IF WOOYOUNG IS OK

 **irl angel:** did you literally

 **irl angel:** lose the person u were on lookout for

 **ghost:** this is why I should have been lookout

 **hehe:** FIRST OF ALL I WAS BLINDED

 **hehe:** SECOND OF ALL FUCK U

 **ghost:** I saw flux carrying him through the street. I think he was unconscious

 **hehe:** HWAT

 **irl** **angel:** ur bf is probs safe and sound now dont worry

 **hehe:** SECONF POINT FIVE OF ALL HE IS NOT MY BF

 **irl angel:** anyway thank u for a successful re-entry into the scene comrades

 **hehe:** THIRD OF ALL

 **irl angel:** i've successfully left a message at utopia's hq

 **irl angel:** you know what, the fact that I can't show this off to my boyfriend is peak homophobia

 **ghost:** it just says suckers doesn't it

 **irl angel** sent an image.  
[image received: HAHA SUCKERS singed into the side of Utopia HQ.]

 **irl angel** : OMG hwa you know me so well <3

 **ghost:** wasn’t the point of this separate chat to keep our identities secret

 **irl angel:** OMG redacted you know me so well <3

 **ghost:** typing redacted doesn't actually delete anything

 **irl angel:** what if i planned a mutiny against redacted

 **ghost:** typing redacted doesn't stop me from understanding that you mean me

 **irl angel:** LOOOOOL

 **hehe:** u are both living up to this gc’s name and for once i am disappointed

 **hehe:** ill be home late xox don't wait for me

**Author's Note:**

> WoW i WoNdEr WhO's WhO !!!! boy i am sorry for how Much of a first chapter this is, it was originally an even bigger 6k monster but. i was trying to make it a lil more even. :(
> 
> strongly considering making a twt account just dedicated to social media edits of this au for that spicy lore, but we'll see if 1. ppl actually would be interested in that 2. if i survive finals week to do it aha h ,,
> 
> thank u to those who are embarking on this journey with me <3


End file.
